The Hindu : New Delhi News : Row on Mathur appointment intensifies

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Saturday, Jan 05, 2008
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New Delhi

Row on Mathur appointment intensifies

Special Correspondent

Raje visits Delhi, returns by
evening
New BJP chief changes Jaipur schedule

JAIPUR: The controversy over the appointment of Om Prakash Mathur as the new president of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Rajasthan refuses to die down even as both the groups involved are trying hard not to precipitate matters, which even entangled the senior leadership of the party in Delhi on Friday.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who is said to be sore over the choice of Mr. Mathur, visited Delhi during the day to return by evening but her office sources termed it a visit to attend an official meeting.

However, as expected earlier, Mr. Mathur is not reaching the State Capital on Saturday but now the new date given for his accession to power is Monday. Mr. Mathur, who is also the BJP general secretary in-charge of Gujarat, was in Ahmedabad on Friday in connection with the Cabinet expansion carried out there by Chief Minister Narendra Modi. He is also reportedly scheduled to attend the executive committee meeting of the Gujarat BJP on Saturday.

Ms. Raje is planning to go on a tour of the adivasi districts of Banswara and Dungarpur on Saturday soon after taking part in the oath-taking ceremony of the Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court, Justice Narain Rai, at Raj Bhawan in the morning. She is expected to be back here on Sunday.

While Ms. Raje, reportedly unhappy over the fact that party president Rajnath Singh did not consult her while choosing Mr. Mathur to head the State party unit, kept mum about the whole episode after her return from Delhi on Friday, Mr. Mathur did some talking -- of course trying to allay apprehensions, if any, about his intentions.

Talking to media persons in Jodhpur the other day, Mr. Mathur asserted that Ms. Raje was not in any manner unhappy about his nomination for the post. “She herself called me up on phone to congratulate me,” he was quoted as saying by the local newspapers. Mr. Mathur also made it clear that he had no Chief Ministerial ambitions. “The BJP will return to power in Rajasthan after the next Assembly elections. Vasundhara Raje would be Chief Minister here once again,” he said.

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